how to beat the DMV

Thanks to my genius friend Shy, I discovered a workaround for the aforementioned bastardized government service we call the DMV. I thought I should share it with you, since it’s something I never knew, and you may not either.

Join AAA. For about $70 bucks (a $20 joining fee and a measly $50-something annual fee), you can become a member of AAA. That means you can renew your registration through them. In other words: YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO TO THE DMV EVER AGAIN. Can you hear me jumping for joy through the very words on this page? Because I am.

There happens to be one of those handy dandy AAAs two or three blocks from my house, and they’re open until 5:30, which means I can make it there before they close. Upon hearing that I could do it there, I jumped the earliest possible shuttle home, stopped in, joined, walked up to their “DMV Stuff” desk (no line), spoke to the (very nice & helpful) lady behind the counter, and renewed my registration. They have the stickers and everything!!! They do only take cash or check, so I found out how much it would be, ran to the ATM next door, and came back with cash. $411 in cash, mind you – thank you, SF parking cops with an overblown sense of what constitutes CITY SIDEWALK vs. MY DRIVEWAY!!! But that’s a whole other story…

Let me just let it be known that I think it is pathetic that we have to resort to private businesses to do what a government service is supposed to do. I say if that’s the case, shut down the DMV and privatize the whole damn thing. If there was competition in that arena, we could expect at least a modicum of service from these agencies. But there’s not, so we can’t.

Now children, what is the moral of this story? That’s right! Fuck the DMV. Join AAA.

Share with

Related stuff that bugs me: